ATLANTA (July 22, 2018) — WBCA Executive Director Danielle M. Donehew issues the following public statement on the death of former Penn State head coach and WBCA past president Rene Portland:
“The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association membership, board and staff mourn the passing of past president Rene Portland.
“Rene was a pioneer of our game in the modern era. As a player on the legendary Mighty Macs teams of Immaculata College in the early 1970s, she helped establish a standard of excellence to which national championship teams since have aspired. As head coach at Penn State, she was recognized by her peers as a WBCA National Coach of the Year in 1991 and 2004. And as our association's president during the 1989-90 academic year, she united the WBCA community of coaches to pressure the University of Oklahoma administration into reversing its decision to discontinue its women's basketball program. Rene’s contributions to our sport as a player and as a coach will never be forgotten.
“We have her family and her friends in our thoughts and prayers.”